Las Vegas, Nevada (CNN) – The campaign of Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle has barred a local television station Friday from the state Republican Party’s election night event after it and another station staked her out at the airport.

During the stakeout reporters from the two stations pressed Angle to answer questions.
The Angle campaign said it has had problems with the reporting of one of the stations, KLAS, and added the station did not report accurately the interchange with its reporter Friday.

“They behave like paparazzi,” Angle campaign deputy communications director Ciara Matthews said of the two stations.

Local media said Angle has not made herself available for interviews, and many of her speeches have been closed to the press.

After its report of Friday’s encounter aired, the campaign decided to bar KLAS from the event. Matthews alleged the stations were doing the work of Angle's opponent, Sen. Harry Reid.

“There is not room at the victory party for Harry Reid’s lapdogs,” Matthews said. “The campaign staff reserves the right to manage the campaign in whatever way we see fit.”

In a statement to CNN, KLAS news director Ron Coming said it was trying to do its job.

“The reason we arrived at the airport was an attempt to interview Sharron Angle after repeated requests for interviews over the last several weeks,” he said.

“I cannot imagine that Sharron Angle or the Nevada Republican Party would deny the citizens of Nevada complete election coverage of their party on Tuesday night,” he added.

Coming said he is talking to state GOP officials about getting access.

The campaign said she has made about 150 media appearances since winning the primary nomination, including a number of speeches open to coverage, although a majority were interviews.

While Reid has at times avoided answering questions during the campaign, his staff has publicized the locations of most of its events to the media, and they have been open to coverage. Reid took reporters questions at an event on Thursday.

During the airport stakeout Friday, Angle said the people of Nevada are most concerned about jobs and the economy. But when the KLAS reporter told her, “If you want to be 1 of 100 U.S. Senators that are going to be deciding on war powers and ratifying treaties - which is what a senator has to do - you have to answer these questions.”

Angle responded, “Well certainly, and I’ll answer these questions when I’m the Senator.”

The reporter pressed why she wouldn’t answer now.

Her response was “because the campaign and this, the issues that Nevada are facing right now is putting Nevada back to work. We need our jobs, and our economy – those things need to be answered for us first.”

Matthews said the campaign has not made a decision about whether to allow entry to the event to the other station, KSNV, involved in the stakeout because it wanted to review how it reported the incident. But, she said she believed KSNV has been more accurate in its coverage.

At a Friday night get out the vote event with Angle and Sen. John McCain, all media were allowed to cover the event
- CNN Assignment Editor Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this story

soundoff(30 Responses)

Let's see the republicans do not use their party name in any of there ads, they give no interviews, and they barely want to debate the issues. So I ask why in hell would I vote for them.

October 30, 2010 06:42 am at 6:42 am |

jules sand-perkins

I don't agree with Angle about everything, but I admire her modest lifestyle.
It is important to patriotic Americans that she win to repudiate Reid's collaboration with Obama.

October 30, 2010 07:04 am at 7:04 am |

KatR

This is typical Tea Party hypocrisy. Campaign on a Constitutional government but ignore the First Amendment.

October 30, 2010 07:28 am at 7:28 am |

Thomas Kent

Sharron, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen".

October 30, 2010 07:34 am at 7:34 am |

Do Some Work You Lazy Bums

In other word, Ms Angle doesn`t have a clue and she hopes to figure it out later when her ineptitude can be papered over politically.

In the final days ads have to motivate the base but more importantly make a difference for the undecided.

Harry Reid need a commercial where he gives the appearance of being more specific in his solutions than Ms. Angle. He needs to communicate his ability to deliver benefits to Nevada as oppose to the confusion she will have on Capital Hill.

And unlike most Dems, he needs to say this in simple terms that even a 9 year old could digest.